Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 22, 2011

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 22, 2011 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS:

FUTURE ISLANDS


To Kill a Mockingbird

It was only 
a year and 
half ago when 
Baltimore 
natives, Future 
Islands released 
their sophomore 
album (first 
from independent record label Thrill Jockey), 
“In Evening Air”. Heavy on synths with a dash 
of dreamy and pop, Future Islands’ promising 
reintroduction earned them the much-deserved 
attention from critics and pending fans. There 
was something inconceivable about “In Evening 
Air” that somehow revealed Future Islands as a 
band hopefully pioneering the future of modern 
rock music. It was a scary notion to begin with, 
but after listening to “In Evening Air” everything 
pointed in that direction. As heartbreaking as it 
was earnest, the music that was being created 
simply had meaning. To those who listened 
and found higher purpose, I can tell you that it 
wasn’t a fluke because Future Islands are the 
real deal. Let me proudly introduce to you, “On 
The Water”, the successor to “In Evening Air” 
and one of the more inspiring albums of 2011.

Future Islands return with their third LP, “On 
The Water”, a carefully crafted and slow burning 
album that exudes love, lost, and life. Exploring 
these common themes may evidently be cliché 
in rock music, however make no mistake, 
Future Islands are everything, but ordinary. 
There is something mythical ingrained on this 
compilation. “On The Water” probes for the 
wonders of life’s mysteries by beginning with 
the past and looking into the future. There is so 
much beauty to be found if you let the album 
seep inside of you. It will carry you to another 
time and place, but remind you that the only way 
of moving forward is looking onward. Granted, 
while nostalgia has become a repetitious subject 
explored in today’s indie rock music, Future 
Islands still find a way to tug at your heart. You 
may have to warm up a bit to Samuel T. Herring’s 
crooning, Dracula type vocals. In time, I’m sure 
you will and when that happens, you’ll see the 
light. This is the same light that will guide you 
on your path of dreams, hopes, and desires. “On 
The Water”, “The Great Fire”, “Where I Found 
You” and “Give Us The Wind” drive the album 
into masterpiece territory. Dreamy, passionate, 
and perceptive, these songs will pull you in and 
frankly, never let you go. A rare and majestic 
feeling that shouldn’t be missed by anyone that’s 
a fan of this music persuasion. 

There’s little not to admire about this stellar 
and grandiose effort Future Islands have pulled 
off. It’s shocking and truly not fair that a band of 
this magnitude will go undetected to the masses. 
The embracing of “On The Water” feels like a 
spiritual awakening in the process. It’s a deeply 
satisfying experience that will affect you as if 
you were starting all over. The album carries 
its heart on its sleeve and this heart is warm, 
compassionate and giving. The conquest over 
both life and love bleed through the veins of 
“On The Water”. Instead of saying life is merely 
nothing, it reminds you that life is something 
after all. It’s simply how you accept it that makes 
all the difference in the end. Deeply personal 
and heavily emotional, “On The Water” reminds 
us just how powerful music can be. While it 
will impact any listener in numerously different 
ways, one thing is for certain, you’ll be surprised 
of how deep it sinks into your mind, body, and 
most of all, soul. Future Islands also proves that 
mind, body, and soul are all super-connected. If 
you think otherwise, you haven’t listened to “On 
The Water”. 

A Review by Despina Tsiknas-Arzouman

To Kill a Mockingbird, the play, was written 
by Christopher Sergel and based on the novel by 
Harper Lee. It is Directed by Michael Cooper and 
currently playing at the Sierra Madre Playhouse. 

This story is, perhaps, one of the best portrayals 
of the trial of real morality vs. racial prejudice. 
It is the story of Atticus Finch (played by 
actor extraordinaire, Christian Lebano), a lawyer 
called upon to defend a Black field worker falsely 
accused of rape. Taking place in a small town in 
Alabama in 1935, Atticus is faced with defending 
an innocent man, even knowing he has little 
chance of a favorable outcome. And, though also 
has to face and ward-off an armed and angry 
lynch mob who are determined to see the young 
Tom Robinson (played by Robert Manning) 
swing from a rope, Atticus is able to do it. 

Though the evidence to acquit Tom was clearly 
demonstrated in court, the nature-based reactivity 
of the townspeople, coupled with their lack of 
moral integrity, illustrated how crippling such ignorance 
can be, and so caused the jury’s total lack 
of ableness to see or think. Reactiveness and moral 
ignorance creates a false identification of one’s 
true self, and therefor blinding to see and respect 
other selfs. It is stated that Harper Lee described 
this as “a love story, pure and simple.” And that it 
is because it clearly depicts how a father’s love for 
his children, and his sense of rightness is what is 
Real (Universal) Love. What would life on earth 
be like if not for the Atticus Finches of the world. 
One man amongst many who chooses to rise up 
to uphold higher principles. And, while it appears 
he has failed (i.e. lost the case), Atticus has 
--as do his son and daughter in whom he instills 
his own values of decency and right conduct-- in 
fact, gained a deeper level of integrity based upon 
the choice of how to think and follow through 
with taking right action. If we think into it, what 
is the point of living if not to uplift the hearts 
and minds of everyone, begining with our self. 
[Aside: one of the ancient meanings of the name 
Atticus is “raised place.”]

The opening night performance for this play is 
one of the best I’ve seen. Everyone was relaxed, 
and it didn’t seem like anyone was “over acting” 
or speaking louder than need be. The supporting 
roles of the children (played by Brighid 
Fleming, Michael Andrew Stock, and Patrick 
Fitzsimmons) carried the play beautifully in its 
entirety. Diane Kelber’s narration (who played 
Maudie Atkinson) was clear and honest. The 
stage setting was perfectly constructed to suggest 
everything necessary to content and context of 
the story. And while I can’t mention everyone’s 
name individually here, I will say that together 
the entire cast created one integrated “whole” of 
a life paradigm worthy of depicting (and repeating) 
-- maybe until we all can be an Atticus.

To Kill a Mockingbird, the play, is playing at 
the Sierra Madre Playhouse now through November 
12, 2011. Performances are on Fridays 
and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:30pm. 
General Admission is $25; seniors (65+) and students 
(13-17) $22; children 12 and under $15. For 
reservations call (626) 355-4318, or for online 
ticking go to www.sierramadreplayhouse.org.

Pasadena UN Day FILM FESTIVAL

DATE: Monday October 24th, 2011

TIME: 6:30 til’ closing

LOCATION: Pasadena Laemmle Theaters

VIP Party at El Portal from 5 to 6:30 with filmmakers!

Features Include:

Educated Minds

Sun City Picture House

Positive to Positive

The Lucky GIrls

Freedom

Decorum

Where are the Men?

Amandla!: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony

Synopses of the Films and Ticket Purchase at www.unapasadena.org!

This is our biggest event of the year-come out to support your local chapter and celebrate UN 
Day!

United Nations Association Pasadena/Foothills Chapter

75 S. Grand Ave.

Pasadena, California 91105


The Book Report

by Jeff Brown

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined 

by Steven Pinker

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and 
terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever 
seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows 
in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: 
violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in 
the most peaceful time in our species’s existence. For most of history, 
war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome 
punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of 
life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred 
graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are 
widely condemned. How has this happened? This groundbreaking 
book continues Pinker’s exploration of the essence of human nature, 
mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an 
increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our 
intrinsic motives- the inner demons that incline us toward violence and 
the better angels that steer us away-and how changing circumstances 
have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about 
humankind’s inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is 
sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the 
way we think about our society.

Great Discoveries in Medicine 

by William Bynum & Helen Bynum 

This is a an account of the evolution of medical knowledge and 
practice from ancient Egypt, India, and China to the latest technology. 
Sickness and health, birth and death, disease and cure: medicine and 
our understanding of the workings of our bodies and minds are an 
inextricable part of how we know who we are. Distinguished experts 
from around the world explain medicine’s turning points and conceptual 
changes, and answer a series of key questions: How did the Plague 
influence the course of human history? What should complementary 
medicine’s role be? How did an audacious self experiment lead to a 
cure for stomach ulcers and a Nobel Prize? The book is magnificently 
illustrated with a unique array of pictures, from beautiful Renaissance 
anatomical drawings to the very latest computer generated images 
of viruses and photographs that reveal the hidden world within our 
bodies. FIlled with 346 color and 36 black and white illustrations.
WIlliam Bynum is Professor Emeritus of the History of Medicine at University College London.
Helen Bynum lectured in medical history at the University of Liverpool. She is coeditor with William 
Bynum of the award winning Dictionary of Medical Biography. 


Crown City Symphony Sponsored by

The Tuesday Musicale of Pasadena

Crown City Symphony, founded in 2002, will 
open their 11th season with two concerts featuring 
Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist, Larry 
Sonderling. The concerts are Saturday,November 
12th 2:00 pm, at the Pasadena Christian Church, 
789 N. Altadena Dr., and 2:00 pm, Sunday, 
November 13, at the First Baptist Church, 75 
N. Marengo, Pasadena. Mr. Sonderling will be 
performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concert in 
e minor. Also on the program is the “Overture 
to the Girl in Algiers”by Rossini, and Symphony 
# 25 by Mozart

Both concerts are free.

Crown City Symphony, under the direction 
of Marvin Neumann, is an outstanding local 
symphony with a growing reputation in the 
community for presenting fine soloists and 
familiar standards as well as new music.

We will be premiering a new work composed 
by our clarinetist, Jim Stanley, on our third 
concert, and last season we premiered a work by 
our conductor Marvin Neumann.

The soloists for the rest of the season are violinist 
Lindsay Deutsch, March 17 & !8, and Laszlo Meza, 
cellist, May 19 & 20. Crown City Symphony has 
been fortunate to receive grants from Showcase 
House for the Arts, Pasadena Tournament of 
Roses®Foundation, City of Pasadena, Los Angeles 
Breakfast Club, and Pasadena Arts League. It 
is an all volunteer orchestra and depends on 
donations for all its expenses. It was originally 
sponsored by the Pasadena Senior Center, but 
is now under the sponsorship of The Tuesday 
Musicale of Pasadena.

Larry Sonderling has been a member of the Los 
Angeles Philharmonic for 33 years.

He has performed with many local orchestras 
including Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, 
California Chamber Symphony, Santa Monica 
Symphony, and the

Ventura and South Coast Symphonies. He is on 
the faculty of Occidental College as an instructor 
of violin, and has taught for several years at local 
string workshops including the Los Angeles 
Philharmonic Institute. The Long Beach Press-
Telegram has said of him, “Violinist Lawrence 
Sonderling set the tone of the performance—big 
ripe and sweet,” and the Los Angeles Times has 
called his playing “genuinely brilliant and gutsy…
with polish and energy.”

The orchestra has about 55 members and meets 
Saturday afternoons from 2—4:30pm. Interested 
musicians may contact manager Roberta Wilcox 
at (626) 797-1994. The orchestra website is 
crowncitysymphony.org. Roberta Wilcox, 
manager (626) 797-1994


SOLOIST SUZANNA GUZMAN PERFORMNING AT 

PASADENA’ FIRST CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE


On Friday, November 4, at 8 p.m., in the 
sanctuary of First Church of the Nazarene, 
Pasadena (PazNaz), Suzanna Guzman will be 
the featured soloist with Pasadena Community 
Orchestra, performing Gustav Mahler’s Songs 
of a Wayfarer (1897). This song cycle is one of 
the late Romantic Austrian composer’s most well 
known pieces from his early period. Inspired 
by the conclusion of an unhappy love affair, 
the songs present the contrasting moods of 
life’s struggles and delights. Also featured on 
the program will be Vaughn Williams’ Norfolk 
Rhapsody, Bartok’s Rumanian Folk Dances, and 
Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije. A reception will 
follow the concert, at which audience members 
will have the opportunity to meet the artist 
and the musicians. The church is located at 
3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena, just west 
of Michillinda Avenue, and there is plenty of 
parking. For further information, please call 
626.445.6708 or visit us at www.pcomusic.org.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com